Clock mechanism for signals.



Patented Ma 14, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l,

F. O. WARNER. CLOCK MECHANISM FOR SIGNALS. APPLICATION FILED APR. 2, 1910.

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P. 0. WARNER. CLOCK MECHANISM FOR SIGNALS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 2, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

l fihat fitter/a lu es COLUMBIA BLANOGDAPH c0., WASHINGTON, I). c.

Patented May 14, 1912.

FRANK O. WARNER, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

CLOCK MECHANISM FOR SIGNALS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 14,, 1912.

Application filed April 2, 1910. Serial No. 553,081.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK O. WARNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improve ments in Clock Mechanism for Signals, of which the following is a specification.

This invention comprehends certain new and useful improvements in signaling apparatus and relates particularly to improvements in clock mechanism for signals for which I have obtained Letters Patent of the United States No. 854,066, dated May 21, 1907.

For a full understanding of the inven tion, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view partly in the nature of a diagram, of a clock mechanism for signals embodying the improvements of the invention; Fig. 2 is an end elevation of a portion of the actuating mechanism for a secondary clock employed; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 8-3 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4: is a side elevation of a portion of the apparatus.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawings by the same reference characters.

My patent above referred to discloses a clock mechanism for signals which includes an indicator arranged to be actuated by the closing of an electric circuit, and adapted to indicate the time of the happening of an event, such as the passage of a train past a given point.

For the sake of clearness, I deem it essential to herein describe first the details of construction and arrangement and proportion of the parts of my patented device, and then state the main objects of the present invention and wherein the same tends to render the patented device more accurate in its action, and finally describe the details of construction and arrangement and operation of the parts of the present invention or improvement.

Referring now to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the face. of a clock, 2 the hour hand thereof, and 3 the minute hand.

4 and 5 designate fingers that are adapted to coact with the said hands 2 and 3 respectively and that are pivot-ally mounted to swing one way only on the outer ends of the arms 6 and 7, respectively, from which they project in a lateral direction. The arm 6 extends laterally from and is secured to one end of a hollow shaft 8 which is provided at its opposite end with a pinion 9 keyed or otherwise rigidly secured thereon, the shaft bein journaled in and proecting from one side of a framework embodying spaced side bars or sills 10 and 11 secured together by end bars or tie rods 12 and 13. The pinion 9 meshes with a spur gear wheel 14 on one end of a spindle 15 journaled in said framework, and said spindle carries within the framework a drum 16. The opposite end of the spindle 15 is provided with another spur gear wheel designated 17, said last named wheel meshing with a pinion 18 fast on the adjacent end of a hollow shaft 19 journaled in the opposite sills 10 and 11 of the framework. This last named shaft 19 carries an indicating hand 20 secured to its outer end and adapt ed to point to the indicator dial 1 which displays on its outer face hour and minute designations corresponding to the characters on the face of the clock dial 1. The arm 7 projects laterally from and is secured to one end of a shaft 21, which extends through the two hollow shafts 8 and 19 and across the framework and carries at its opposite end a hand or pointer 22 adapted to point to the minute designations on the indicator disk or dial 1 it being understood that the hand 20 is intended for the hour designations of such dial. On the shaft 21 and within the framework, is a spur pinion 23 which meshes with a spur gear wheel 24 on the end of a spindle 25, said spindle being journaled within the framework, and carrying and supporting a drum 26. Each of these drums may be rotated about the spindle on which it is mounted, in any desired way, as by means of a weighted cord 27 or equivalent device, and both of said drums are normally held against rotation by means of a brake beam 28. The beam 28 is pivotally mounted at one end on the rod 12 and projects across and in contact with the preferably toothed rims 26 and 16 of the drums 26 and 16, the brake beam if desired being formed with teeth 28 designed to engage the toothed or roughened rims so as to securely hold the drums stationary. The opposite or free end of the beam 28 may be provided with a weight 29, if necessary.

In order to release the brake beam 28, that is, lift it from engagement with the drums 16 and 26, I preferably employ one or more electro-magnets 30, the armature 31 of said magnets being mounted upon one arm of a lever 32 fulcrumed between standards 33 on the same stand 3 1 that carries the magnets. The opposite end of the lever 32 extends underneath the free end of the beam 28, so that as said magnets are energized and attract the armature 31, said lever will be rocked in a direction to raise the beam.

The circuit 35 in which the electromagnets 30 are included may be closed by any desired means. As an example of one use to which my invention may be put, the circuit 35 is illustrated conventionally as being closed'by the passage of a locomotive or train past a given point, the purpose of the invention being to designate on the disk or dial 1 the time a train passes a signal or switch tower upon which said disk or dial 1 is secured. lVith this understanding it will be manifest that as soon as the, circuit is closed by the passage of a train past the tower and into the block, the magnets will be energized and effect the release of the drums 16 and 26. This will result in the simultaneous rotation of the drums and the consequent revoluble movement of the hands or pointers 20 and 22 and their shafts, until such shafts are stopped by contact with the fingers 1 and 5 of the clock hands 2 and 3, at the point such clock hands happen to be at the time. The circuit will be broken when the train passes 01% the insulated section of the track, and this will result in the application of the brake beam 28 so that the hands 20 and 22 will be held stationary and thereby indicate to the engineer of the next on-coming train, for instance, the time at which the preceding train passed into the block.

Now with this detailed understanding of the invention as patented to me, May 21, 1907 as above mentioned, it is the primary object of the present invention to positively prevent the fingers 4; and 5 from moving, to any extent, the hands 2 and 3 when the fin- I gers engage with said hands, it being at once realized, that if such movement were permitted to occur, no dependence could be placed upon the apparatus, as the pointers 20 and 22 would in such event indicate, -not the time that the fingers t and 5 engaged with the hands 2 and 3, if the hands 2 and 3 were to be moved to a greater or less extent and consequentlythe hands 20 and 22 would move beyond the proper point on the face of the indicator disk or dial 1*.

With this main object in view, the present invention consists essentially in improved means for giving a positive movement to the hands 2 and 3; and for effectually preventing any accidental movement thereof.

In describing now the details of construction and operation of the parts of the present invention, it is to be understood in the first place that the clock of which the dial 1 forms a part, is a secondary clock and may be one of a gang or plurality of clocks, all of which may be controlled by a single master clock which is preferably actuated by electricity. It is also to be understood that the mechanism of the secondary clock may be of any desired character, so long as it is capable of giving proper proportionate and intermittent movements to the hands 2 and 3 and so long as they can coact with the controlling mechanism which forms the basis of the present invention. With this understand ing it will be noted that the hand 2 is mounted on a tubular shaft 36, said shaft carrying a gear wheel 37. The gear wheel 37 receives its mot-ion from a spur pinion 38 on a stub shaft 39 which also carries a gear wheel 10. The wheel 40 meshes with a gear wheel ll which is secured on the shaft 42 which carries the hand 3. Also mounted on the shaft 42 is a gear wheel 43 meshing with a pinion 44 011 a counter-shaft 4.5, the shaft 45 carrying a gear wheel 46. The wheel 10 meshes with a pinion a l? on the escapement shaft -13, an escapement ratchet 49 being secured to the shaft 18 and being governed by the escapement pawl 50.

A ratchet wheel 51 is secured to one end of the shaft 41-2 and is designed for engagement by a pawl 52 which is pivotally mounted upon a controller arm 53, said arm being pivoted upon any convenient portion of the framework of the secondary clock, or upon any other suitable support. The pawl 52 is under the tension of a pull-spring 54. If desired, a weight 55 may be adjustably mounted upon the free end of the controller arm 53. Underneath the free end of the controller arm one arm of a lever 56 is positioned, said lever being fulerumed upon any desired support as at 57 and being governed by the armature 58 of an electro-magnet 59. This magnet is in a normally open circuit 60 which also includes an electric master clock 61 of any desired construction or design. The controller arm 53 carries a stop finger 62 which projects laterally therefrom over one arm of the escapement pawl 50 and is designed to engage the escapement pawl, and hold it stationary when the controller arm 53 is in one position, this position being the lowermost position of the controller arm in the present embodiment of the invention.

In describing the operation of the present invent-ion, it is to be understood that the master clock 61 automatically closes the circuit 60 regularly at predetermined intervals, say, once every minute on the minute.

When the circuit 60 is thus closed, the electromagnet 59 will be energized and attract the armature 58, which will move the lever 56 in a direction to raise the adjoining end of the controller arm 53, and this will consequently permit the spring 54 to pull the pawl 52 so that the latter will engage a tooth in the rear of the tooth with which it had been previously engaged, while at the same time the stop finger 62 releases the escapement pawl 50. Incidentally, after this closing of the circuit 60 by the master clock 61, said circuit will be broken, and the electro-magnet 59 denergized, the controller arm 53 being again permitted to drop to the lower limit of its movement, which will cause the pawl 52 to move the ratchet wheel 51, the distance of one tooth or notch, which as is manifest, will move the secondary clock hand one minute, while at the same time, that is, upon the arrival of the controller arm 53 at the lower limit of its movement, the stop finger 62 will engage the escapement pawl 50 and cause the latter to engage its escapement ratchet 29, whereby the secondary clock mechanism will be effectively locked against movement until the controller arm 53 has again been raised. Hence, it will be seen that the secondary clock movement, which is operated by the controller arm 53 once every minute, will be effectively looked as against any accidental movement, so that when the fingers 4 and 5 swing around into engagement with the hands 2 and 3 that are rigidly secured to their respective shafts, the said hands will efiectually stop the fingers 4: and 5 and will not be moved over the face of the dial when struck by the fingers. By this means a very positive operation is insured.

As above stated, it is to be understood that my invention is not limited to any particular construction of secondary clock except so far as the controlling mechanism is concerned, but that various changes may be made in this and other parts of the apparatus without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In clock mechanism for signals, the

combination of an indicating disk, pointers mounted to pass over the face thereof, fingers movable with said pointers, a secondary clock embodying hands arranged in the path of movement of said fingers to stop the movement thereof and the movement of the pointers, electrically actuated apparatus controlling the movements of the pointers, means tending to move said clock hands, a master clock, and means controlled by said master clock for intermittingly holding the actuating mechanism of the secondary clock inoperative and for operating the secondary clock mechanism.

2. In clock mechanism for signals, the combination of an indicator disk, pointers adapted to move over the face of said disk, fingers movable with said pointers, clock hands arranged in the path of movement of said fingers, electrically actuated means for controlling the movement of the pointers and the fingers, the movement of the fingers being adapted to be stopped by their engagement with the clock hands, actuating mechanism for the clock hands, a master clock, and electric controlling means for holding said hand actuating mechanism inoperative and for intermittently operating the same.

3. In mechanism of the character de scribed, the combination of an indicator disk, pointers adapted to move over the face of said disk, fingers movable with said pointers, clock hands adapted to stop the movement of said fingers, and means for intermittingly and positively moving the clock hands and for positively holding them stationary at the end of each movement.

4:. In mechanism of the character described, the combination with movable fingers, clock hands adapted to limit the movement of said fingers, actuating mechanism for said clock hands, said actuating mechanism including an escapement pawl, a controller arm, and a stop finger carried by the controllerrarm arranged to engage the escapement pawl, for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK O. WARNER. [n s.]

Witnesses:

ALLAN HERBERT FISHER, SAMUEL J. FISHER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

